Lake Michigan whitefish, shown in this 2011 file photo, are the focus on anglers who line the Muskegon and White Lake piers now.Muskegon Chronicle file

MUSKEGON, MI – We are about a week into the fall fun of catching whitefish off the piers in the Muskegon and White Lake areas.

Avid anglers, who don’t mind the cold and late-evening fishing that comes with pier fishing in November, are expected to continue to line the piers of the Muskegon and White Lake channels for the weeks-long run of stellar whitefish fishing.

So, if you’re not in the woods or in the fields aiming a rifle at whitetail deer – in case you didn’t notice but the firearm deer-hunting season opens Thursday – then you may want to consider this lakeshore fishing event. Of course, the fanatical outdoorsmen could consider doing both in the same day, bagging a buck during the morning or afternoon hours and catching whitefish in the evening and overnight hours.

The reports from Muskegon and the Whitehall-Montague area are that the fishing from the piers for whitefish is ramping up. From evening to dawn, anglers are taking solid catches of the popular fish to eat.

Pier anglers are using three-quarter to one-ounce jigging spoons – all kinds – fishing it near the bottom. In the Muskegon Channel, much of the action is taking place between the Coast Guard station and the Silversides submarine.

Steelhead, like this one caught recently on the Muskegon River, continue to be a hit-or-miss proposition for anglers.Contributed

The steelhead, which have been very slow from the piers this year, continue to be a hit-or-miss proposition on Muskegon-area rivers. Those who have been out steelhead fishing on the Muskegon and White rivers are lamenting the extremely low water levels and the relatively clear water for making the fishing more difficult.

However, when these anglers find some steelhead, the fish tend to be of relatively good size.

The walleye and perch fishing on Muskegon Lake has picked up recently.

For walleye, fishermen are using Hopkins spoons and Lee spoons while fishing on the Muskegon Lake end of the channel. Other anglers are trolling for walleyes at night and using Husky jerks.

For perch, anglers are catching good numbers of fish on Muskegon Lake near the Bear Lake Channel. They are fishing in six to 15 feet of water. One boat of anglers recently took home 100 perch after sorting out some of the smaller ones.